The Membership Newsletter for The Military Aviation Museum Fall 2016

INsIde ThIs Issue: Teletype Machine Display 2Pusher Featured in Film 2Miss Utility Board Meeting 2Biplanes Triplanes Recap 3Dawn Patrol Recap 3Aviation Forum 4Artist James Dietz 4German Cruise Line 4Wings Wheels Recap 5 Int’l Plastic Modelers 5Virginia Beach Police 6Community Concert 6High Ratings TripAdvisor 6Creeds Elementary 7Museum Trip to England 7

Military Aviation Museum www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org

Virginia Beach Airport www.VBairport.com

Fighter Factory www.FighterFactory.com

Warbirds Over the Beachwww.VBairshow.com

The recent closing of the Virginia Aviation Museum (VAM) in Richmond, Virginia has brought a new exhibit to our museum. One of the exhibits on loan to VAM was from the George Preddy Memorial Foundation, and they wanted to know if we would like to have it at our museum.

George Preddy grew up in nearby North Carolina. He had been a barnstorming pilot before the war and the U.S. Navy rejected him for flight training three times. He then joined the Army National Guard, and the Army wisely sent him to flight training, given his experience.

Preddy joined the 352nd Fighter Group as they set up shop in Bedney, England. He flew everything from P-40’s to P-38’s and P-47’s, but wound up in Mustangs eventually. At first, Preddy didn’t look like he was getting the hang of aerial gunnery. He and some of his squadron mates were sent for gunnery practice to another base to shoot at towed targets. Where did Preddy learn to become the top Mustang Ace ever? He learned at USAAF Station #345, the former RAF Goxhill!

Preddy was one of a handful of pilots who became an “Ace in A Day” when he shot down six German fighters in one day. Ultimately, George Preddy was credited with 26.83 aircraft destroyed, making him the most successful P-51 Mustang pilot in history. At the age of 25, his life was ended by friendly fire as he chased yet another enemy aircraft close to the ground. His younger brother Bill, a P-51 pilot, was also killed in the final year of the war.

George’s biographer and cousin, Joe Noah, brought the Preddy exhibit to the Military Aviation Museum a few weeks ago. It consists of a bust that was commissioned by the Memorial Foundation, two descriptive plaques about Preddy, and two wooden model airplanes in Preddy’s livery.

The George Preddy Memorial Foundation will vote this fall whether to put this memorial on loan to our museum or perhaps make it a lasting gift to us for permanent display. q

Attention kids of all ages…the model railroaders invade the Military Aviation Museum this coming Thanksgiving weekend (November 25-November 27) and commandeer the Navy hangar for the running of their annual holiday railroad show.

Their tremendous railroad landscapes and train sets run throughout the weekend starting Friday morning at 9 a.m. (Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Bring your family out to the museum and avoid the crowded shopping malls, irate drivers and the initial crush of the holidays!

As part of the festivities, guess who is coming? Yep it’s SANTA! Arriving all three days at 11 a.m., our trusty Stearman will venture north to Santa’s workshop to bring him to Pungo for all the boys and girls to see.

FREE admission for all children 12 years and under. Get your picture taken with Santa for a small donation to the Museum. This weekend is a great way for the family to start off the holiday season.

Don’t forget…the museum gift shop is a great place to find that special gift for a loved one or the aviation enthusiast in the family. q

World War II Mustang Ace Honored at MAM

Planes, Trains & Santa Returns this November

Mark Your Calendars!

PAGE 2 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4

Museum Acquires Teletype Machine for

Display in Goxhill Tower

Hangar Happenings

“Every field order, every target choice, every bomb load instruction and all of the other communications from senior commands to individual offices went through secure lines to teletype machines.”

The museum is becoming an increasingly popular venue for meetings and meals, and the range of catering available is growing!

The VA811 Board is made up of utility company owners and CEO’s and other stake-holders, that are the backbone of the “Miss Utility of Virginia” program that is designed to save lives and property damage caused by unsafe digging on real property.

The most recent VA811 board meeting was held at the museum, and they had their closed

door meeting, lunch and team building afterwards. The board members were absolutely delighted and impressed with the quality of the facilities and the service that they experienced. Lunch was served by Mahi Mah’s, our newest partner with some of the finest cuisine in Virginia Beach. Lunch was }

As we start thinking about items to showcase in the Goxhill Tower, one of the items that might be difficult to find in good condition was a Teletype machine. Teletypes were used extensively by the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) in World War Two, and especially by units of the “Mighty Eighth” 8th Air Force’s Bomber and Fighter Commands.

Every field order, every target choice, every bomb load instruction and all of the other communications from senior commands to individual offices went through secure lines to teletype machines. The weather office in the Goxhill control tower used a Teletype, but where to find one? Teletypes were common for several decades in new organizations and some are probably still in use somewhere in the world.

As the technology changed, there were many models of Teletypes. We know from photographs that the USAAF used Teletype Model 15 machines specifically, but where and how to find the correct model?

Enter Bruce and Jo Ann Given, who live right here in Virginia Beach. Bruce was into HAM radio for many years, and he had a Teletype machine that he had rigged to connect to radio to communicate around the world. He had even configured his machine so he could make it start typing out news stories on command in the middle of a party.

Bruce has moved on to other hobbies now, and he wanted to make room in his most awesome of man caves, so one of the phone calls this month was from Jo Ann, who wanted to know if the museum “might possibly be interested in a very heavy-duty military grade Teletype model 15 Baudot code page printer”?

Say what? Hey Billy–warm up the pickup truck! q

Pilot Gets Taste of the Silver Screen in Film Featuring MAM’s Curtiss Pusher

By Robert “Boom” Powell, Volunteer & Pilot

I’m a movie star. Well, a stand-in for one. Better, let’s say stunt-double…that sounds more exciting. Local businessman and artist Matt Fine always wanted to make a movie and, in a hectic three six-working day weeks, did so using professional actors and crew.

The plot of Art Show Bingo involves the conflict between twin brothers whose father wants to build a replica of an early flying machine. Where else can you find a functional example of such an aircraft but at the Military Aviation Museum? So, our Curtiss Pusher found itself in yet another movie.

Dressing in 1911 costume was eliminated as impractical as the actor is a lot taller than me and for non-show flying pilots would simply wear a normal flight suit. So we loaned him one from the

museum collection. Luckily, my leather helmet and goggles fit OK.

There were some thirty plus people in the film crew and they worked hard. Mercifully, the enervating heat and humidity of the previous week —when they were shooting on the Boardwalk— had gone as almost all the action was outside on the cross runway.

Matt Fine wants, “a Love letter to his home town” and has chosen local Tidewater settings for the film. Previous filmmakers would set up near the World War One hangar so the background could be any airfield. The Art Show Bingo scenes were shot from the west side. As such, the museum’s buildings are always in view.

Museum Hosts Meeting for Miss Utility Board Members

Continued on page 7.

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 PAGE 3

The Military Aviation Museum’s Biplanes and Triplanes World War One air show was held October 1-2, taking guests back to the days of The Great War for a weekend of flying, colorful World War One aircraft, live performances, elaborate reenactor encampments, and much more.

“This year’s Biplanes and Triplanes show was all about immersing yourself in the days of The Great War. Between the beautifully painted World War One aircraft dancing through the sky, the military reenactor encampments, and the entertainers, patrons felt like they had taken a step back in time,” said Mike Potter, Director of the Military Aviation Museum. “It’s truly a rare opportunity to learn more about the brave men and women who risked the unknown and brought forth the dawn of aerial combat.”

The weather held off both Saturday and Sunday, as guests wandered through reenactor encampments, checked out aviation memorabilia, and enjoyed afternoon flights featuring the Military Aviation Museum’s World War One aircraft. The 1920s- themed entertainers took to the Museum’s stage throughout the weekend, including The Manhattan Dolls, Theresa Eaman and the famous Charlie Chaplin.

Be sure to mark your calendar now for next year’s show, October 7-8, 2017. This will be another CAN’T MISS event! q

Guests Take a Trip Back in Time at Biplanes & Triplanes WWI Air Show

By Mitchell Welch

The Mid-Atlantic Dawn Patrol is a five day event that the Military Aviation Museum has hosted annually since 2011. R/C pilots from around the country and around the world travel to attend. Most years there are around 75 pilots, with over 230 planes, ranging from small “foamies” all the way up to half-scale monsters. Many of the Word War One radio control planes are one-third scale, with wing-spans of over ten feet. There are typically even some ½ scale models, with wing spans ranging from 12 to over 20-feet!

In contrast with the limited flight operations conducted by the Military Aviation Museum’s veteran aircraft, the R/C pilots are able to demonstrate the full potential of these ancient designs by engaging in aerial dogfights, and exciting close-calls.

This year’s Mid-Atlantic Dawn Patrol, held October 11-16, was put together by Tidewater R/C, the local chapter of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). They draw support from Glenn Torrance Models, Aeroscale, Balsa USA, SKS Videos, Arizona Models and Proctor Ent. q

R/C Aircraft Take Flight at Mid-Atlantic WWI Dawn Patrol

| enjoyed in the observation deck area with a full wait staff. The board enjoyed a tour of the museum, and took their afternoon snacks while enjoying a panoramic view of the ramp area, which was staged with some of the museum’s most impressive aircraft.

VA8111 President and CEO Rick Pevarski told us, “Our board members were all in awe over the museum. I look forward to future opportunities with the museum”.

Able to facilitate anything from a simple gathering with popular food trucks to high end seated and plated meals, our five star executive meeting package is suitable for any club or corporate function. Lunch is served on bone china plates, with stainless flatware and crystal beverage service, with a selection of wines and other beverages available.

The next time your organization is looking for a meeting venue, consider making it something quite extraordinary! Call Kathy Robertson or Mitch Welch at 721-7767. q

By Kathy Robertson, Marketing & Events

By Mitchell Welch, Events Coordinator

PAGE 4 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4

Making Friends with Renowned Artist James Dietz

MUSEUM VISITORSMuseum Venue for Mid-Atlantic Aviation Forum

Recently I was introduced to “Ted” Shuey, author of the book Ever Forward, which is about Virginia’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, whose lineage goes back directly to the 29th Division, the Stonewall Brigade, and the French and Indian Wars. Ted was going to visit our museum to bring me a copy of his book in exchange for some muskets I was donating to his small museum in Verona, Virginia.

Ted showed up on a Saturday when I was working, and he had another guest with him. When the gentleman introduced himself as James Dietz, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Dietz is one of the most talented aviation artists currently painting. His work hangs in museums all over the country, and a very large exhibit of his World War I aviation art has just been loaned to the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) by the Wings Over the Rockies museum in Denver, Colorado.

After introductions, I of course offered them the full “cook’s tour”. James was not at all aware of our museum, and as we spent the better part of 90

minutes touring, he spent a lot of time shaking his head saying things like “I can’t believe this wasn’t on my radar”. He was perhaps most impressed by the Goxhill tower and the foresight that made that project happen.

As we discussed his art, I suggested that an original James Dietz painting of a P-51 and Bf-109 tail chase with the Goxhill Tower in the background would look nice in the museum. He just grinned. Upon leaving for the day, he graciously told me to “watch your mail”.

A week later, James sent a copy of his latest book of WWI aviation art titled “Knights In Canvas”, which is now in the museum library for everyone to inspect. The week after that, he sent two of his art prints, both Publishers Proofs to the museum for display. One of them, titled “Tough Day”, is shown here. James was kind enough to inscribe the bottom of the print to the museum with “From an admirer of a great collection, James Dietz”. Thanks, James. The museum can use lots of friends of your caliber. q

On one bright and early morning this past August, the skies surrounding

the Military Aviation Museum were filled with helicopters arriving for a very unique conference. That morning, U.S. Coast Guard District 5 personnel hosted a government, police, and medical aviation community interoperability discussion focused on joint response procedures in the event of a natural disaster or major crisis in the region.

What was fun for our visiting guests and museum staff was the diverse assortment of helicopters arriving to park on the ramp. There were Coast Guard helicopters from Elizabeth City, NC and Cape May, NJ. The Virginia State Police sent their helicopter from Richmond, as did the Virginia Beach Police, headquartered just a few miles down the road. Sentara’s Nightingale medivac helicopter was also here, along with a helicopter from HSC-22 in Norfolk.

The one day conference was the event… but from our viewpoint, the flight operations stole the day! q

Museum Gets Special Visitors from German Cruise LineWhile the Military Aviation Museum still remains

a hidden gem on a local level, in the areas surrounding Virginia Beach, globally, we are a shining star. For the second year in a row, the German cruise line AIDA made port in Norfolk, Virginia for a one-day visit. One of the AIDAluna’s premier tours was to our corner of Virginia Beach. Sixty-one guests and a handful of ship’s guides arrived to visit the museum and dine on a true Mid Atlantic pulled pork BBQ luncheon.

The guests, arriving on school buses, first visited the Great War hangar to discover the early days of military aviation. They then toured the World War Two hangars, at the main portion of the museum complex. These world travelers have visited many museums and quite a few have seen numerous aviation museums as well. Most of the comments from the guests expressed amazement, and sincere appreciation

for what they had seen in our museum. Even with a small language barrier, they understood what it takes to keep these warbirds airworthy. Many commented that their museum visit was one of the biggest highlights of their two-week cruise up and down the East Coast of the United States. q

By Mitchell Welch

Two annual traditions signaled that fall was upon the Museum! The first was the 43rd annual Wings & Wheels Automotive Classic, and the second was the Air and Auto Classic.

The Tidewater Region of the Antiques Automobile Club of America (TRAACA) held their antique automobile car show on the grounds of the museum. This is the eighth year in a row that this classic car event has been held here. This year fared much better than last year’s rainout. Over 130 cars were judged during the event. Numerous others chose just to attend and be seen by car enthusiasts. The highlight of the day was a presentation on how to buy a muscle car by Mr. Dan Short. Dan is the owner of a local car shop featured on

TV’s Velocity channel show called FantomWorks. This well attended session allowed the judges ample time to meticulously inspect each car collector’s ride before handing out their decision.

A few weeks later, the Porsche Club of Tidewater hosted their 7th annual Air and Auto Classic car show on our tarmac. The more modern classics streamed onto the ramp for judging and a few burnouts! Convertibles, car buffs, music and airplanes just seem to go together so well. The crowd was pumped as the judges perused each car for their pick of the best in each category. The winners were happy… and the losers, well we couldn’t tell who they were as all were beaming with pride at their own 4-wheel trophy. q

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 PAGE 5

Cars, Cars and More Cars: Automobile Club Holds Antique Car Show at Museum

The International Plastic Modelers’ Society (IPMS) is comprised of a 5,000 member, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to promoting the modeling hobby while providing a venue for modelers to share their skills in a social setting. The IPMS’s roots can be traced all the way to the first national branch being formed during the 1960’s in Great Britain. Throughout the year, the IPMS encourages friendly competition in the form of local, regional and national contests and conventions. There are currently 220 active US chapters (as well as chapters in Canada and the Philippines). These chapters are organized into 13 geographically-determined regions, which are overseen by regional coordinators.

The IPMS Region 2 Convention, TIDEWATERCON16, was held in conjunction with the Military Aviation Museum’s Biplanes & Triplanes air show. The whole mezzanine area of the museum was filled to capacity with modelers and vendors alike. The theme of the convention was “The First 50 Years of Aviation” and the winner of the Theme Award earned a free ride in a 1941 Stearman biplane. It was a great show with some very skilled hobbyists displaying numerous award winning models. q

Museum Hosts International Plastic Modelers Society Convention By Mitchell Welch

PAGE 6 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4

OUR COMMUNITYOur COmmunity

On October 21st, the Military Aviation Museum hosted the Old Donation School’s Edward Brickell Academy for Advanced Academics and Arts Outdoor Community Concert. This event was free and open to the public. The Museum hosted the concert as part of our ongoing effort to be good neighbors and give back to the citizens of Virginia Beach and rural Pungo. Over 400 guests enjoyed the outdoor sunset concert performance by the Old Donation School Band and Chorus.. q

Museum Hosts Outdoor Community Concert

If you have been watching the news this past summer and fall, you are aware of the intense scrutiny cast on our men in blue across the country. This attention, on top of an already stressful job just adds to the day to day duties our local police force faces on the job. Fortunately, the leadership of the 1st Precinct here in Virginia Beach, which covers the museum in their patrols, has taken steps to allow the officers and their family time to relax. Under the command of Captain David Squires, men and women of the 1st took a break at the museum to host a picnic and afternoon jam and game break for themselves and their families. Museum volunteer Steve Prescott, who also volunteers at the 1st Precinct, helped coordinate this great event.

Picnic food and great music filled the reenactor’s field adjacent to our Army Air Corp hangar and the off-duty officers, their families, and staff began the afternoon picnic. Throughout the day, on-duty officers stopped by on their lunch break to grab some chow before resuming patrol.

The highlight of the afternoon came when the plane pull competition began. The 4-person teams gathered to pull the AD-4 Skyraider. This 7-ton warbird posed a mighty challenge…but was quickly subdued by all teams. The winners got bragging rights throughout the 1st Precinct for the next year! We heard that they were still wearing their award ribbons from the pull! q

Virginia Beach Police Hold Family Appreciation

Day at Museum

Museum Getting Rave Reviews on Travel Site

Our museum continues to score well on Tripadvisor.com, because our guests are wonderful about sharing their museum experiences. We actively manage this social media outlet, and the Museum Director responds to every guest review.

Ratings fluctuate with the season and the competition, but as you can see, at the moment the museum has a very unusual full five star rating, and

we have had an annual Certificate of Excellence for several years now.

The comments are always about two topics. One is the quality and the presentation of this amazing world-class collection and the other is always about the guest experience created by our unbelievably talented and dedicated volunteers.

Here are some recent guest comments:

“Entertaining, Enlightening, and Fun”

I’ve been to several aviation museums around the country including Udvar-Hazy in Northern Virginia and the aviation museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. While much smaller than either of these, this museum was perhaps more educational and fun than any other I’ve visited.

“WOW”

I am a WWII amateur buff and love all WWII museums. Was in Virginia Beach for a Naval reunion which included a tour to the museum. Old friends were down for another reunion and wanted to go to this museum. WENT TO IT TWICE IN ABOUT FIVE DAYS TIME AND LOVED IT BOTH TIMES. Absolutely one of the best museums of this type that I have ever visited.

“Absolutely fabulous!”

A very special place. Not just a collection of very rare war planes from the great world wars, this is a replica of a vintage air base with 6,000 feet of manicured turf for a runway; a WWII German Luftwaffe hangar relocated from the “motherland”; a WWII British airfield control tower relocated... brick by brick... to this location; a world class aircraft restoration facility newly constructed but in the style of a 1930’s hangar; and some of the most rare warbirds in the world on display. q

Make Your Plans Now for Air Power Heritage Tour in England

Who hasn’t been fascinated by England? All around our museum, there are “touches of England”; from post boxes, telephone booths, a London bus, and Royal Air Force (RAF) planes galore! While these pieces of history are nice, next year the Military Aviation Museum will be taking it to the next level by having our own private coach tour of aviation and other historic attractions in England.

Seven full days of castles, air (and other) museums, and plenty of time for just wandering on your own amid some of the most memorable scenery in all of the UK are planned. We will use excellent hotels in Canterbury, Cambridge, and London as our home bases for our day-trips while exploring “East Anglia”.

The Military Aviation Museum’s former director, David Hunt, along with our very own Flying Proms and air show announcer, Mark Whall, both of whom happen to be native Brits, have helped design our amazing itinerary. Mark himself will be the “Pied Piper”, who will personally lead this tour. Mark narrates air shows on both sides of the Atlantic and is a pilot as well, so this promises to be a very special outing indeed.

On the first day of the tour, we’ll find ourselves at legendary Canterbury Cathedral, a World Heritage Site, and strolling along the largest medieval gate

in England. While in the area, Dover’s Castle and its White Cliffs will likely demand some attention as well.

The massive air museum complex at Duxford, where the classic “Battle of Britain” movie was made amidst the actual 1940’s air base, will unfold the wonders of the American Air Museum and the Imperial War Museum operations while we use Cambridge as our base of operations. We will dine in a pub where Douglas Bader and other RAF pilots tried to relax after long days in the air, and we will tour another actual RAF base that currently houses the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Center, complete with original RAF Control Tower and their own operational Lancaster bomber.

Other sights to see include the famous Bletchley Park center for code breakers, the inspiring map room at the Uxbridge Underground Battle Headquarters of RAF 11 Group, Westminster Cathedral, Parliament, Whitehall, Big Ben, and countless other London experiences, all culminating with a dinner cruise down the Thames River.

Be on the lookout soon for a full itinerary on the museum’s website, and get ready to book your seats quickly for the Fall of 2017. I know I will! q

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 PAGE 7

Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

The wonderful and ongoing experience with our partners at Creeds Elementary School continues to spotlight some pretty amazing people. The students and staff have helped the museum a great deal, and we see a lot of these youngsters frequently.

With that being said, the record for museum visits must surely belong to rising 6th grader Sam Dockiewicz, who Principal Casey Conger says is “an amazing kid”. Sam has actually lost count of how many museum visits he has made. Sam set himself a goal last year of getting a perfect score of 600 on his SOL (Standard of Learning) exams in his fifth grade year. Every evening, he would study with that goal in mind.

The bottom line of this story is that the more often you come to our museum, the smarter you get. Sam accomplished perfect 600 scores across the board! Principal Conger told us about it, so Museum Director Mike Potter showed up as a surprise at a recent class gathering to award a 15-minute Waco flight to Casey and Sam so that they can celebrate his achievement together. q

Getting back in the Curtiss felt good even knowing I was only going to taxi, not fly. And taxi I did…slowly, with the actors playing brothers, Orrie and Will, on the wing tips. Then trotting along. Next, a release and accelerate. We repeated this, again and again, until the director was happy. The problem was the runs had to be in one direction for continuity so when I stopped a couple of grips (movie talk for go-fers) would come out and laboriously pick up the front end and shuffle to turn the airplane, and me,

around. I would taxi back to my spot and get turned around again, and again, and again.

After the taxi runs, my role changed from stunt-double to advisor/airplane coach. Getting into the Pusher’s seat is difficult (so is getting down) and must be done correctly or things get broken. The actor had it down pat. However, in the ways of movie making, there were many takes and after a dozen times in and out he admitted it wasn’t much fun anymore.

Late in the afternoon, shooting moved inside the

World War One hangar and, although I never heard it spoken, understand it was a “wrap”.

What is the film about? Billed as a short romantic-comedy, I won’t know until I see the whole thing. The film is intended for upcoming film festivals and will certainly be shown at the Naro and Sandler. Watch for our museum on the big screen. If you want to learn more, check http://pilotonline.com/inside-business/news/fine-art-hampton-roads-artist-takes-his-business-to-show/article_607256be-2558-5501-9fae-4b7757f34857.html q

“Next year the Military Aviation Museum will be taking it to the next level by having our own private coach tour of aviation and

other historic attractions in England.”

Film continued from page 2.

Membership Newsletter for the Military Aviation Museum

1341 Princess Anne RoadVirginia Beach, VA 23457

(757) 721-PROP

Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

eLeCTRONIC seRVICe RequesTed

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDVIRGINIA BEACH, VA

PERMIT NO. 235

PAGE 8 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4

EVENT CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 22 NOVEMBER 28-30

The Flying Proms

This distinctive outdoor occasion combines the best of both worlds: a live

performance by the musicians of Symphonicity, in concert with demonstration flights by the aircraft of the Military Aviation Museum.

Advanced Ticket Sales Coming Soon!

Biplanes & Triplanes Air Show

Take a step back in time as we recognize the War of the Nations. Experience a journey to the dawn

of aerial combat and discover where the term dogfight originated. Join us at the historic style buildings of the Military Aviation Museum, located

at the Virginia Beach Airport.

Planes, Trains & Santa

The museum, in association with the Tidewater Division of the National Model Railroad

Association, is pleased to announce its 8th annual model train show! Santa will fly in on

Friday and Saturday only, with a meet-and-greet for children of all ages at 11am both days!

1940s Valentine’s Hangar Dance

Come to the MAM dressed in your finest ‘40s-vintage fashions, alongside your

sweetheart, as we transform our Navy Hangar for a dinner and dance

this Valentine’s Day.

Aerodrome Wine Festival

On the green of the Military Aviation Museum, savor the varietal bouquets of Virginia wines, theromance of early aeroplanes, and the elegance of

fine European motorcars at our third annualAerodrome Wine Classic.

NOV 25 - NOv 27 Feb 11 TBD

NOVEMBER 22

JUNE 10

Warbirds Over the Beach

Back in action, with new additions to the fleet, the air armada of the Military Aviation Museum will be on display on land and in the air for three days in May. Advanced Ticket Sales Coming Soon!

MAy 19 - MAy 21 OCT 7 - OCT 8North American B-25J Mitchell